When ElasmOcean became a partner of the Gasometer Oberhausen two years ago and preparations for the exhibition began, nobody anticipated how successful this exhibition would become. Originally projected to run for nine and a half months, its continued success with the public led to an extension of almost an entire year, until the end of November 2025.
In the 20 months since the opening on 15 March 2024, 1,520,000 people have visited the Gasometer Oberhausen to view "Planet Ozean". This makes the exhibition the most successful exhibition in Germany in both 2024 and 2025. No other museum, travelling exhibition, or aquarium has achieved comparable visitor numbers.
An extraordinary 4,800 guided tours took place - more than 500 of which were led by our ElasmOcean speakers. Our shark tours were particularly popular and consequently fully booked. While we have not analysed every tour group, participants spanned all demographics: river cruise passengers, corporate groups, nurseries, schools, associations, social clubs, charity organisations, partner associations, politicians, television presenters, authors, and families. We adapted our content to accommodate elderly or young guests, as well as visually or hearing-impaired visitors.
With very few exceptions, conducting these tours was highly rewarding. Our objective is to convey the significance of the ocean and its diverse marine organisms to every visitor, regardless of their background or prior knowledge. In some instances, we may have prompted reflection even among those visitors who initially expressed more critical views.
Our joint evening with Hannes Jaenicke remains a memorable highlight - a sold-out event dedicated to marine wildlife conservation, with a particular focus on the octopus featured in the recent ZDF documentary.
The Gasometer reported two additional statistics: 45,000 exhibition catalogues sold and 290,000 coffees consumed - a figure likely influenced by the fact that the internal temperature of the Gasometer corresponds to the outdoor temperature, even during the colder months.
The outstanding success of this exhibition demonstrates that keeping animals in captivity for public display is unnecessary to effectively educate people about the planet's largest habitat. An intelligent, scientifically grounded, and engaging concept is sufficient. Curator and Managing Director Jeanette Schmitz and her team have achieved an outstanding result.
"Planet Ozean" has now concluded. Our exhibits have been dismantled and preserved for archiving. We are highly appreciative of the opportunity to have participated in this project at one of Germany's largest exhibition venues, which stands at a height of 117 metres.
